Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [68]
And here is a farthing for your troubles; he said, offering a coin.
But the boy refused to touch it. 'I'll be away then, if you dinnae mind.' He was just as resistant to having one of the soldiers escort him home. 'I'll be quicker on my own.'
Vollmer let the boy away. The telegram was the important thing now The sergeant strode to the general's tent and asked to be admitted. Doulton had ordered two sentries be stationed outside to prevent him joining the other officers inside a plain pine box.
Once inside the tent, Vollmer snapped into a salute. But the general hardly acknowledged it. He seemed more intent on staring into a mirror, examining his own features.
Ì stared death in the face many times,' Doulton said, 'but I suppose I never thought much beyond that. To a soldier, death is the inevitable defeat at the end of your lifetime. For some it comes gloriously on the battlefield, laying down their lives to save others or defend that in which they believe. For others, it comes later on a hospital bed, wracked with pain and fear.
Not many old soldiers die peacefully in their sleep, I'll wager.'
The general turned to Vollmer. 'Were your parents religious, Sergeant?'
`No, sir, not so as you'd notice. They had me baptised but we never attended church. My father believed you had to look out for yourself in this life. He always said he'd worry about the next life when he got there, if there was one. Never saw the point in religion myself, probably because my old man never did.'
`Like father, like son?'
`Something like that, yes, sir. Why do you ask?'
Doulton smiled. 'Today I looked upon the heavens. I visited the ever after, the spirit world if you will, and I saw it was all true, it was all real. Everything the preachers and pastors and vicars said in church - I didn't believe until today. All my life I had scoffed at such notions as being the placebo for weak minds and the cowardly. I have seen the afterlife and know it to be real. What more could any man want?'
Ìndeed, sir.' Vollmer wasn't sure what to make of all this. The general had spent a lifetime barking orders and leading men to their deaths. Now he seemed a changed man, content and at peace. 'General, I came -'
But Doulton held up a hand to silence Vollmer. Now that I know it is real, I have determined to claim this afterlife, this realm beyond death for the greatness of the British Empire. I shall lead troops through the portal myself, an expeditionary force to began preparations for this great new adventure'
`How is that possible, sir? We only have two underwater suits.'
The general smiled. 'I had already arranged for a diving hell to be despatched to this location, in case it might prove to be of use. This will enable me to take a dozen men down into the depths where we shall swim through the gateway to the Other Side. There we shall lay the groundwork for Her Majesty's visit.'
'Her Majesty? The Queen is coming here?'
Òf course! It was at Her Majesty's request that this mission was begun. It will be the greatest honour of my career to lead her through the threshold between this life and the next.' Doulton chortled to himself. ‘Perhaps she will make me governor-general of the afterlife. It would be a most prestigious honour to conquer and rule our newest colony.'
`Forgive me, General, but you cannot expect the Queen to swim...'Vollmer's voice trailed off. He had once read that Her Majesty was fond of taking a bathing machine down to the water's edge on the Isle of Wight but such an approach was hardly practical here.
Òf course not, Sergeant! Do you take me for a simpleton?',
`No, sir, certainly not.'
Ì will need your help on this side of the gateway t provide access for the Queen. At dawn tomorrow morning you will send men upriver to create a temporary dam, stopping the flow of water down the Clyde. You will detail a dozen men to go downstream and open the flood gates on the existing dam, draining the water from the flooded valley. By the time Her Majesty arrives, the riverbed will be all but dry, exposing the gateway